Catherine of Aragon and the King's Great Matter

CATHERINE OF ARAGON

Henry and Catherine were married for 24 years. Catherine was already pregant after 9 months of being Queen but she miscarried one twin after 5 months. A few months later she concieved again, she had a baby boy named Henry who died at 7 weeks after getting sick. Her third pregancy was at age 27 and she lost another baby boy. Her failure to produce a son overshadowed her success as Queen.

Henry got Bessie Blout pregnant to Henry Fitzroy who was illegitimate. Bessie was sent away.

Henry left Catherine as regent when Henry was fighting in France. James IV decided to attack and she deployed an army of 26000, they killed both him and 10000 Scots.

THE KING'S GREAT MATTER

The King's wife, Catherine, could no longer bear children. His only legitimate child was Princess Mary. Henry even considered making his ******* son, Henry Fitzroy, his heir by legitimising him but this would have been extremely difficult to achieve. Henry had fallen desperately in love with Anne Boleyn, the niece of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk. Anne refused to become one of Henry's mistresses and Henry wished to annul his marriage to Catherine so he could marry Anne. A papal dispensation from the Pope would be needed to annul the marriage. Henry argued his marriage to Catherine was illegal as the book of Levitious forbids a man to marry his brother's wife.

SCRIPTUAL ARGUMENTS

• a complex line of arguments based on scriptures to justify the divorce to the Catholic…